Mark Courtney Inducted as Fellow in AASWSW

The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare inducted Professor Mark E. Courtney as a 2012 Fellow on November 10 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC.

The Academy inducted 17 new Fellows, its third cohort of inductees, at its 2012 Fellows Induction Ceremony during the Council on Social Work Education Conference. The 17 represent an elite group of social work teachers, researchers and leaders who have dedicated their professional careers to the advancement of the profession. Courtney joins Jeanne C. Marsh, SSA's George Herbert Jones Distinguished Service Professor as a member of the Academy. 

The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare is an honorific society of distinguished scholars and practitioners dedicated to achieving excellence in the field of social work and social welfare through high-impact work that advances social good.

Richard P. Barth, PhD,  Professor and Dean of the University of Maryland's School of Social Work is the President of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. He has known Professor Courtney for 20 years and said, "Mark Courtney is the nation's leading scholar in the study of youth who transition from foster care. Through a range of creative and rigorous studies on this topic, as well as many others, he has influenced national and international policies and programs to improve the delivery of services to vulnerable children and youth. He has also completed seminal work on family poverty and its relationship to involvement with child welfare services. Mark's selection as a Fellow will also benefit the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare which will be advantaged by the rigor and impact that his involvement will bring." He added, "Although I do not track the birthdays of the Fellows, I would not be at all surprised to learn that Mark Courtney is the youngest scholar elected to the Academy."

Of the honor, Professor Courtney said, "Being selected as a Fellow of the Academy is a great honor for an applied social welfare scholar like me. It also confirms the value of research that gives voice to our most vulnerable populations and provides direction to policymakers, social service administrators, and helping professionals." 

Read more about Professor Mark E. Courtney and his research.